


Sunset

by ViridianPanther



Series: Thirty Days [21]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Nature, Victory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-03
Updated: 2012-08-03
Packaged: 2017-11-11 07:49:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/476245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViridianPanther/pseuds/ViridianPanther
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>ME3, Rannoch. In the last half-hour, Shepard has taken down a Reaper, liberated an entire species and ended a centuries-long war by shouting down a radio. Shattered, sweaty, tinged with the smell of explosives and burning metal. But he made it, so did Kaidan, and so did Tali—and they can watch the sun go down on Rannoch together, exhausted, victorious and happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunset

I feel like I should be more surprised by the sight of Tali's face, shimmering a metallic, purplish gold in the light of the setting sun, beaming as she breathes in the fresh air of Rannoch for the first time in her life.

She _is_ beautiful, but I can't bring myself to do anything other than look out to the horizon, with her, breathing in. Over everything—the smell of explosives, the burning metallic stink of the Reaper we just downed, the patter of the liberated geth behind us—I can hear nothing but a whistling breeze, gently cooling the sweat on my face.

The heat is a latent sensation, and it's only now that I realise how hot it _was_. The deserts on Rannoch can reach up to 48° in the shade, but it's falling now, fast, the familiar chill as you watch the sun go down.

It reminds me of Rowling Point on Mindoir. In a good way.

I can hear the crunch of boots against the rock beside me, and a familiar silhouette appears in my peripheral vision.

"Wow," Kaidan whispers, and I realise he's holding his hand out at his waist. De-gloved. I fidget with my own, cast it to the ground, and lock our palms together.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

His eyes steal across for a glance at Tali for the smallest of moments, before reaching to my shoulder and pulling me into a hug, a warm, protective hug.

"Dammit, Shepard… you scared me to death," Kaidan whispers, his hair and his skin glistening with sweat and his breath hot with moisture and ozone.

Huh. I almost forgot I took down a Reaper on foot less than ten minutes ago.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, holding him close.

"No, it's…" He kisses me on the forehead. "Just promise me you won't go against another one of those things without a tank or something."

"I'll do my best," I whisper, feeling a little dizzy all of a sudden. _Drink when thirsty_ , but I'm not thirsty, just tired. _Exhausted._ And I could quite comfortably lie down here, with Kaidan, and die happy.

Kaidan holds me tight, through the cumbersome frame of the armour and the layers of kevlar and skin-undersuit weave, and kisses me, sloppily, gently: once on the nose, once on the cheek, once on the lips. Here, in the orange light of Rannoch's sun, he _is_ beautiful, even more so than Tali.

 _We're_ beautiful. Together.

"I love you, Shepard," he whispers, kissing me at my temple.

And I want to tell him I love him too, but I told myself I wouldn't. Not until we've won this war.

"I know," I grin, resting my cheek against his scorched shoulder plate as our hands find a way to the small of each other's backs, and our eyes alight again on that horizon, and _that view_.

 _That view._ A word like 'beautiful' isn't anywhere near enough to describe it. 'Stunning' comes close.

There's no sound, save the breeze, Kaidan's heavy breathing and my own, and Tali, muttering under her breath.

"I lied," Kaidan whispers. " _This_ is going to be the best chapter in your memoir."

Hah. I'm not much of a writer.

"Second-best," I whisper, bumping up close to him. "As for the best… that's your chapter."

I feel his cheek smile against the crown of my head, and we cling to each other more closely.

"Shall I give you two some time alone?" Tali asks.

"Stay here," I say, offering my other hand. She laces her three fingers between my five free ones, and we join each other.

We all won this world back. We all secured peace, a future for the quarians _and_ the geth. There's still a long way to go, but Tali has a home to go back to. We _all_ did this.

I plant another kiss at Kaidan's cheek, and hold Tali's hand tighter as we, all three of us, watch the sun set on _our_ brave new world.

Victorious, and happy to be alive.


End file.
